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"Why am I to travel out of the city in a basket, Gennosuke?"

"Because one of the first places we are going on our journey for Lord Noriyuki is that orphanage he heard about that he is sending rice to! So, we just add another basket to all those already going out. put you in it instead of rice, and you can leave the city without being seen!"

The rabbit ronin glared up at his friend. His hands rested lightly on the hilts of Willow Branch and Young Willow. His nose twitched in irritation as it sometimes did though his ears remained still in their top knot. His voice came out stiff and even. "'Why' are you planning on having me leave the city in a basket Gennosuke?"

The rhino glared back down at the rabbit. "Because! The nastiest Bounty Hunter I have ever met took me aside to ask for help in removing your head."

"I 'think' despite not moving forward in the Battle Nexus Tournament as far as you, I've proven myself capable of defending myself from many foes without resorting to hiding in baskets."

"Trust me Usagi! You don't know Stray Dog! You think 'I'm' relentless? I'm just motivated and smart. He's relentless! He thinks less of honor than me! Once, I wanted to wait for a group of bandits to leave the cave they'd taken shelter in and meet them on the road the next day. It was raining! I wanted to take shelter myself! That fool had me lower him down on a rope to the shelf right outside the cave we were a good twenty feet above! Then he snuck in and killed them all. He barely gave me a "fifth" of the bounties afterward the skin-flint! I'd like to have seen him lower himself down on that rope!"

"You 'let' him face multiple opponents on his own like that?"

"From what we'd heard from them earlier, they were all drunk before they went to sleep. Plus, Stray had gotten very annoying. It was a long argument for us both standing in the rain with barely any tree cover. I'm pretty sure there was lightning."

"Still you, or he, ambushed soundly sleeping men and slew them all that way?"

"I never asked if he killed them all while they were still sleeping. But it was their fault for not setting a watch, even if no one less stupid than Stray Dog would dare try and get to their hide-out in the rain. All the rocks were mighty slick. Plus, we'd just come across a merchant caravan they'd slaughtered. Trust me they were just as dishonorable as Stray and perhaps more money-hungry and bloodthirsty than even him."

"Even him?"

"'I' like to spend money. I swear he eats it! I barely see him eat anything else, yet I never see him buy anything or wear, ride, or use anything he's bought. He's always borrowing my stuff, like 'rope' whenever we work together, but unless we just finished a job I never see him with any money either. That's just his way: always wanting it and never spending it. And he's downright 'mean' when it comes to our marks, can't wait to get his sword into them, always acting like he's got a personal grudge against every single one. I tell you he's great to work with outside of storms, but the worst Bounty Hunter to have on your tail. I swear I expect a criminal to run up to me someday begging me to take his head before Stray gets to him."

"Now, I know you're exaggerating Gennosuke. No criminal has ever run into your arms so you could take his head."

"Yeah, well they would if Stray was on their tail, and they knew him."

"Still, I'm sure I've faced worse. You know I have. And you've said nothing of his skill. It seems to me he counts greatly on his prey not fighting back."

"Well, he's got no compunction on taking their heads if they don't, but he 'can' fight. We used to spar. He … almost beat me … a time or two."

Usagi frowned. That was a little concerning. "Still Gennosuke … a Samurai does not hide from trouble, not in a basket, not when he's done nothing wrong. We both know Hekieji is after me for doing the right thing."

"It doesn't matter to Stray! Now are you going to take my advice or do I have to watch you die!"

Usagi's eyes went wide and ears straight. "You are really that worried about this?"

"About Stray? Yes!"

Usagi scowled, lowered his head, and glared at the floor. "If this turns out to be one of your tricks …"

Leagues of travel later, Usagi crawled out of a basket under the amused gazes of a few servants Noriyuki had sent to help them carry the rice, tend the horses pulling the wagon, and drive it. At least they were silent. Tomoe Ame and Noriyuki had just smothered their giggles while they had watched him get in. Their kind goodbyes had meant little to him. He stretched and then, to keep in practice not regain his dignity, ran through a few kata.

The servants unharnessed the horses and let them graze, checked the bags and baskets that actually contained rice for leaks, and began making a meal. Gennosuke laid his head and upper back against a tree cushioning his head with his arms and stretching out his legs while looking up at the sky. "I could get used to this …"

Usagi raised an eyebrow at him. "You mean not practicing?"

"Heh, I'll do that later. Unlike you, I've been walking."

"Trust me …" Usagi gave a rather satisfying slash through the innocent air before him. "I'd have much rather been walking myself."

"Heh-heh …"

Usagi gave his friend a hard glance and opened his mouth. Then, he glanced around. "Gen?"

HIs friend suddenly became somber and silent. Then he rose to his feet rather slowly. "Maybe I will join you for a spar."

Soon both friends had both their four hands filled with weapons. In a little over an hour, they were beginning to sweat. After all, there were quick dodges, mostly done by Usagi, though Gen was certainly not still. There were also hard knocks and taxing blocks mostly made so taxing by Gennosuke's strength, but he also gritted his teeth pressing down upon the stubborn stone that was Usagi in his excellent stance. The servants of Lord Noriyuki began giving them glances even while trying to keep their hands busy. They were beginning to understand how their Daimyo made it home despite all the dangers they'd heard he'd gone through with these two.

Rightly surmising such exercise would make them thirsty, one of the servants picked up two buckets he'd already filled before but had since been emptied and began to walk into the nearby trees. Usagi signaled to Gennosuke to stop before glancing after the servant. "Why don't we go with him? We could bathe as he gathers more drinking water."

Gennosuke frowned. "Perhaps all of us should go together? The horses would probably like another drink."

Usagi nodded. The servants, knowing better than to argue with Samurai, began moving. One grabbed the cooking pot and another got the horses. They all followed the servant already carrying the buckets toward the water they could hear rushing nearby. The trees hugged the river making it more difficult to see much besides it and them. Usagi's ears easily picked up the sounds of a waterfall, which also annoyed him. Its roar could easily cover other sounds.

They found a surprisingly shallow place. The servant with the horses let the beasts step in and drink there. Those with the cooking pot and buckets gathered water in them a little upstream. Usagi stepped out between the two groups into the shallows himself. This gave him a better range of view both up and downstream. His eyes caught movement and color. He turned his head toward it. His eyes widened and mouth opened. He raised an arm and his hand reached out as he screamed. "Stop!"

What do you think now?

God bless

ScribeofHeroes